What Caught My Eye Today - 2011 Predictions

Fred's Note: Time for Fred's 3rd annual predictions for the upcoming year. As always, yours truly will be engaged in a nail-biting battle of prognosticative wits against the finest fortune tellers of our day. First up...the experts:

1. India will have a nuclear incident.
   Fingers crossed (and toes for that matter) that one doesn't happen.
2. California, specifically, Los Angeles, will suffer a major earthquake.
   It's happened before as recently as 1994, so I guess it isn't beyond the realm of possibility.
3. Egyptian President Muhammad Mubarak will die.Dude is 83 years old and has been on the job for 29 years. I guess they don't get hung up on term limits in that neck of the woods.
4. World War III will start.
   Interestingly, this prediction popped up on a number of lists, though after a bit of checking, this seems to have been a rather popular prediction for several years running. These fortune tellers are an optimistic lot, aren't they?
5. The Dow Jones Industrial Average will reach 13,500.
   This would certainly be welcome news for my dwindling aspirations of early retirement.
6. Prices for gold and silver will soar.
   Gold is currently trading at about $1,400 USD an ounce while silver is going for around $30.00 USD.
7. Newt Gingrich will announce his candidacy for the 2012 U.S. Presidential election
   No doubt in an attempt to thwart an possible run by Sarah Palin.
8. Germany will drop the Euro.
   And if that happens, you might as well pencil in 2012 as the year the Euro died.
9. The Miami Heat will win the NBA Championship.
   Lemme see. Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh? Yeah, I can see that.
10. Tiger Woods will re-marry.
    Sure, why not?

And now for my predictions...

1. Turkey will launch a military incursion into the Kurdistan region of Iraq
   I say this not because I have the first clue about the geopolitics of this region, but merely because things have been going so well in that part of the world. I think it is high time to introduce a little drama here, don't you?
2. Despite enormous international pressure, China will not unpeg its currency (the renminbi) from the US Dollar.
   Why would they? Things have worked out rather well for the Chinese economy so far.
3. Israel will continue its policy of neither confirming or denying possession of nuclear weapons.
   One wonders if there is anyone out there who still thinks this is an open question.
4. The pope will not die.
   I'm not saying this is a good or bad thing...I'm just saying. Dude is will be 84 this year, so you never know.
5. Oil prices will top $120 a barrel in the new year.
   I don't know about you, but I for one a looking forward to paying $5 for a gallon for gas.
6. The U.S. unemployment rate will remain above 9%.
   And along with that, I'm betting a steady increase in predictions that President Barack Obama will be a one-term president...unless...
7. Sarah Palin will announce her candidacy for the the Republican nomination for the 2012 Presidency election.
   I initially thought she might wait until early 2012 to announce, but I'm not sure she's capable of keeping her big mouth shut for that long.
8. The San Francisco Giants will not make the MLB playoffs.
   Sure, they won the World Series (and who saw that one coming), but I just don't see them pulling off that off two years in a row. Of course, I'd happily take my lumps if I got this one wrong.
9. Tiger Woods will win a major.
   No way, dude goes two years in a row with goose eggs. As for his personal life, I'm thinking boyfriend maintains his bachelor status.
10. American Idol will be cancelled after its 11th season.
    Think anyone will actually notice?